


Do I Know You?

by TheRedPaladin101



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Artist!Keith, Assistant Principal!Haggar, Basketball Games, Basketball Player!Lance, Bisexual!Lance, Childhood Friends, Dancing, Dating, Divorce, Loner!Keith, M/M, Meeting Again, Moving, New Friends, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Photographer!Keith, Principal!Zarkon, Promises, Teacher!Allura, Teacher!Coran, Teacher!Sendak, Teacher!Slav, dancer!lance, gay!keith, popular!lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2018-12-02 21:06:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11517477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedPaladin101/pseuds/TheRedPaladin101
Summary: It's the beginning of a new year as a third year high school student, and Lance couldn't be more happier.As his day starts to get boring, he meets one of the new kids at the school - Keith Kogane.However, he knows this kid, and he doesn't know how to deal with re-meeting his childhood best friend; the one who disappeared without telling him anything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  The class stayed quiet. Coran didn't seem to notice. "Allllllright... let's start with-" He was interrupted by the door swinging open. Everyone's heads turned to see a boy around Lance's height stumble in, almost dropping his books and binders. His eyes were wide open and he was panting. He definitely ran all the way here.  
>   
> "Sorry I'm late, Mr. Coran," he gasped out, almost dropping some papers. The student closest to the door stood up and helped the boy with his stuff. Lance raised an eyebrow, noticing he didn't have a backpack.  
> 

Summer was almost over, meaning school was going to start again. Lance McClain didn't want summer to end. He wasn't ready to leave the beach everyday to go to boring classes where he'd learn nothing till the end of each trimester. This would be his and his best friend's, Hunk Garret, third year in high school. Their other friend, Katie Holt - mostly known as Pidge - would start her second year. Shiro Takashi, Lance's newest friend, would be going into his fourth year, finishing his last year of school before heading off to college. 

Lance couldn't complain much. He did like high school. He was one of the most popular in his grade, and he liked the attention. He joined the basketball team in his second year and came to be better than the fourth year students. In his third year of middle school, he started dancing at his older sister's request. At first, it was a dare, but he grew to love how he could move freely to the music. Lance was obsessed with dancing. 

The group were currently hanging out at Hunk's family bakery, chowing down on donuts Hunk's mother insisted on giving them. Pidge was ranting about her new computer system her older brother, Matt Holt, got her for her 'back to school' gift. Lance rolled his eyes at her blabbering about who knows what, checking his notifications on Snapchat. 

"Yo, Lance-man," Shiro tossed a rolled up napkin at his head. Lance jolted, looking up with a hum. "Doing anything for your last weekend of freedom before you go back to the popularity hell hole called high school?" 

Pidge whacked him, laughing. Lance looked up in thought. "Uh... No, I'm just having the regular movie night with my family on Saturday night."

"My parents and I are heading out to the East Coast to see my uncle," Hunk followed up, taking a bite of his donut. "We'll be back just before six on Sunday." 

"Matt is taking me out on his boat!" Pidge said with a smug smile, looking at Lance. Lance stuck his tongue out at her since she knew full well that he loved the ocean. 

Shiro chuckled, scratching the side of his neck with his prosthetic arm. "I'm going to be out of town for the weekend helping a friend of my mother. They're moving here and she needs help with the packages."

"Does she have a kid or something?" Lance asked, lazily sipping at his drink. 

"I don't think so," Shiro shrugged. "If she does, it's probably that one little girl my mother was rambling about." 

"Oh, the one in soccer?" Hunk asked, smiling. Shiro nodded, smiling. Lance hummed, standing up. 

"Well, I'ma head out and finish buying all my school supplies." 

"Have fun, loooser," Pidge waved, a mocking tone in her voice. Lance rolled his eyes, walking out. 

 

As soon as Monday hit, Lance felt completely energized. He always did on the first day of school. Never knew why. 

He met up with the rest of the group in the cafeteria, finding a table in the back of the room where most people didn't sit. They discussed classes and discovered Lance and Hunk shared all of their honor classes together along with Pidge in English. Lance was able to have Shiro in his digital media class, leaving him with only basketball by himself. Lance went over his schedule again, biting his lip while his fingers messed with the ring he always wore on his right ring finger. 

_McClain, Lance - 3rd Year Student_  
_First Hour, - English A AP, Allura_  
_Second Hour, - Digital Media A, Slav_  
_Lunch_  
_Third Hour, - Algebra 3 A, Sendak_  
_Forth Hour, - Art 1, A, Coran_  
_Fifth Hour, - Basketball HS A, Haxus_

Lance hummed, looking over at Hunk's. "Wait, you don't have art?" Hunk shook his head. Lance frowned. He didn't even remember about this class. He asked the others, receiving the same answer. There's another class he's alone in. "Well, shit."

Shiro waved his hand. "You'll be fine. It's Art 1, so that'll be easy."

"Don't I just paint and play with clay in this one?" Lance raised his eyebrows. Shiro shrugged. "Somewhat." 

The bell rung overhead. The group got up and headed out with the rest of the crowd. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge stuck together like glue as they headed for their first hour. Shiro broke off as he passed the Science building. Pidge really should be going to a lower class, but her smart-ass brain got the better of everybody and she was upgraded to a higher class. Lance and Hunk couldn't complain. 

When the bell rang again, the three were able to get their own table towards the teacher's desk. Lance absolutely loved Allura. He had her class in his first year of high school and she adored him. The class filled up quickly as the students rushed in before Allura came in, a bright smile on her face. "Morning, everybody! How was your summer?" 

Everybody began chatting all at once. She caught a few, nodding in excitement. "That sounds awesome! Well, I didn't do much, sadly. I see new faces here, too." She walked over to a small girl sitting next to Lance's table. "You must be..." 

Pidge nudged Lance and Hunk. "Hey, by the way, the phone rule was upped this year. Most teachers here will likely take our phones." 

"Dammit," Lance huffed, keeping his voice low. "Guess we'll have to see which teachers are chill." Hunk rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Allura. 

"Alright, I'n not going to be one of those teachers that hands out homework on the first day cause I have plans tomorrow night," she smiled innocently. "For now, we'll just get everything set up so we can start up tomorrow instead." 

Everyone groaned. Lance did a weak fist bump into the air. Allura rolled her eyes. "Alright, we'll start with chrome books. When I call your name, come grab your number." 

The morning went on like that till the bell rang. Lance bid goodbye with his two friends and ran off for the Tech building to meet up with Shiro in their class. Shiro managed to save him a seat in the back of the class. Third year students filled up the seats along with a few fourth year students. Their teacher, Slav, was almost crazy. Lance was able to figure out how to operate the computer before Slav came over to them to make sure they weren't stupid. Shiro almost exploded at the constant talking. 

Lance was able to catch lunch with a few of his friends he had in basketball the year before, finding out all three of his friends didn't have the lucky lunch hour. Lance didn't mind since he had some people to talk to still, but he'd prefer the others. 

He wasn't looking forward to art at all. He wasn't into drawing or anything like that. His parents were the ones who set up his schedule, so he didn't even know till today. The class was small, at least. He sat down in front of the teachers desk, the table long and able to sit five stoles on each side. There were three tables in total in the classroom, shelves lining the walls with paints, art supplies, sinks, and cabinets hiding other things. Lance set his bag under his desk, looking around. 

The windows in the room were large and covered most of the wall behind the teacher's desk. There were currently only five other students, none that he knew. They all seemed to be the loner type of people, which explained why Lance didn't know them. 

As soon as the bell rang, the back door beside the desk swung open. "Good morning, students!" Everyone looked over, spotting a tall man with orange hair and a curly mustache. Lance grinned. He slightly knew Coran through Allura, and he knew Coran was a fun teacher. "Wow, this class seems to be a bit small! Let's see.. one, two, thr... I only have six? Hm.." He jumped and landed in his swivel chair, spinning around before stopping in front of his computer. "How about we take roll, yeah?" 

The class stayed quiet. Coran didn't seem to notice. "Allllllright... let's start with-" He was interrupted by the door swinging open. Everyone's heads turned to see a boy around Lance's height stumble in, almost dropping his books and binders. His eyes were wide open and he was panting. He definitely ran all the way here. 

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Coran," he gasped out, almost dropping some papers. The student closest to the door stood up and helped the boy with his stuff. Lance raised an eyebrow, noticing he didn't have a backpack. 

Coran stood up. "Oh, it's not a problem, son! It's just the first day!" The kid sighed in relief, thanking the student quickly. He moved and sat down across from Lance, sitting down quickly. Lance took in his appearance. Black hair that trailed down to the base of his neck; curling at the ends with bangs hovering in between his eyes. His skin was very pale, eyes large and a deep purple. Coran looked at his computer, humming. "What's your name, son?" 

"Keith Kogane," he said, setting down on his stool. Lance frowned, finding that name familiar. 

"Ah, you're the new kid here," Coran smiled happily. "Don't worry about finding your way around immediately. This school is huge!" 

"Yeah, no kidding," Keith tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Lance frowned even more. Why did this guy seem so familiar? 

"Well, no worries," Coran sat down, "I'm just doing roll. Now.." 

"Hey," Lance kept his voice low, getting the other's attention, "so you're new, huh?" 

Keith nodded, fiddling with something on his right hand. "Yeah, though it's not the first time I've lived here. I just came back." Lance nodded, smiling. Keith held out his right hand. "Keith." 

Lance took his hand in his. "The name's Lance." Keith blinked at the name, pulling his hand back. Lance paused, spotting something on Keith's hand. A ring sat on his right ring finger. It looked old and completely silver. Lance looked down at his hand, finding the same ring on his hand. Keith looked over at Coran, listening at the names being listed off. 

Lance covered his ring, frowning. He got this ring when he was younger. The silver was bendable, which allowed him to resize it every time he outgrew it. He had gotten two for his eighth birthday, and he'd given the other to his childhood best friend. 

"Wait.." Lance got Keith's attention again, "what was your last name?" 

"Kogane," he answered simply. Lance felt his blood go cold. Keith leaned against his right hand, flashing him a small smile before turning his attention back to Coran. 

Lance felt like he'd hurl.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  "I asked you what brought you back after ten years," Lance said, his voice holding a slight edge. Keith still looked confused. Lance sighed and reached forward, grabbing Keith's right hand. Keith yelped, clutching his stuff with one hand. Lance held up Keith's hand so the ring was in view, holding up his own right hand to show his ring. Keith looked from one to the other, realization falling over him. He seemed to pale. "How's it going, _best friend_?"  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this story!!!  
> I have the entire thing planned out on a document, but I reread it and I didn't think Lance's original reasoning for confronting Keith was good. So I had to rewrite the whole beginning on that document so it still fit with chapter one.  
> My focus is going to stay on 50 First Dates/Klance since I really need to finish it.  
> But I shall update this as much as I can!

_A young six-year-old Lance McClain jumped to his feet when his name was called by his teacher, waving his arm dramatically. "I'm Lace!" The students giggled while the teacher smiled, waving back slightly. He sat back down and listened eagerly for the other students names, bouncing in his seat._

_Lance was ready to make friends with anyone and everyone. His teacher - Mrs. Harrison - put them in assigned seats. Or tables really. Lance looked at the other four students at his table. three were girls and the last was a boy. The girls barely spared him a glance and whispered quietly to each other as they waited for their first worksheet. Lance turned to the boy next to him, nudging him lightly. "Hey, I'm Lace."_

_The boy jolted and looked at Lance, large eyes wide and purple. His black hair fell over his eyes, stopping just under his ears in the back. Lance wondered when the boy cut his hair last. The boy tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets, mumbling "I'm Keith."_

_Lance smiled, showing off his missing front tooth. "Wanna be friends?"_

_Keith blinked and slowly smiled, showing off his own missing front teeth. "Sure."_

 

The rest of the day was a blur. Lance barely heard the bell in art ring, his eyes focusing on nothing but the ring on Keith's hand. Keith never noticed and was quick to grab his stuff and run out for his next class. When Coran had set a hand on his shoulder and informed him class was over, Lance grabbed his bag numbly and left for basketball. 

Since it was the first day, the coach only went over how the year was gonna go, handed out when plays were, and really just joked around with the team. Lance recognized everyone except the freshmen, but he'll know them soon enough. The new manager was only one girl who seemed pretty shy and not as outgoing as most of the team. Lance hummed as he thought about last year's managers - one girl and one boy who used this hour to do whatever the hell they wanted. 

As soon as school was over, Lance headed out to find his group of friends, mind still poking at how his childhood best friend was here. In his school. After almost ten years of nothing. 

Then that same childhood friend decides to accidentally run into Lance while on the run for the parking lot. Lance was able to keep his balance after stepping a few steps away. Keith dropped everything and began apologizing like crazy, looking completely terrified. Lance turned and picked up one of his books, sighing. "Dude, calm down. I'm still intact." Keith slowly took his book from him, bending down to get the rest. Lance waited until he was standing straight again to say something. "Why don't you have a backpack? I've seen you drop your stuff twice today, and I'm afraid to know what happened before art class." 

Keith shifted nervously, looking uncomfortable with the conversation already. "Can't afford it right now." Lance frowned. Keith was wearing a t-shirt that looked a bit small on him, the helm just barely covering his stomach. His jeans were ripped and only went down to his knees, showing off healing cuts on his legs. Probably from falling or something today. Lance didn't know. 

"Well, what brought you back here, Keith?" Lance asked casually, rolling his shoulders. 

Keith furrowed his eyebrows and looked up. "Excuse me?" 

"I asked you what brought you back after ten years," Lance said, his voice holding a slight edge. Keith still looked confused. Lance sighed and reached forward, grabbing Keith's right hand. Keith yelped, clutching his stuff with one hand. Lance held up Keith's hand so the ring was in view, holding up his own right hand to show his ring. Keith looked from one to the other, realization falling over him. He seemed to pale. "How's it going, _best friend_?"

"Oh my god.." he breathed, taking his hand back. "I thought you moved away..." 

Lance felt his chest tighten. His blood began to boil. "Is that why you came back?" 

"What- no!" Keith shook his head. "No, I.." he trailed off, swallowing thickly. Lance huffed and looked over his shoulder, spotting the others waiting in the parking lot by their cars. He fixed his bag strap on his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Keith. His fingers tapped nervously against his books, averting his eyes from Lance's. "Look, I can't tell you.. it's really personal a-and we haven't seen each other in ten years so.." 

Lance sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He turned and began walking off. "Whatever." 

It made no sense. When Lance was just a kid, Keith had disappeared off the face of the Earth. lance never knew why. He cried himself to sleep for months, praying his best friend was okay. Then he began to think about _why_ Keith was gone. His whole family was gone with him, so Lance couldn't ask them. His mother refused to tell him anything, only telling him _"Keith will be okay.."_. 

Then Lance was lead to believe it was his fault. For years, he believed Keith left because of the joke at that stupid kid's party they went to. Lance knew Keith never liked being made-fun of, but he was just a kid. He didn't take it too seriously. How was he supposed to know Keith was _that_ sensitive? Sure, they were best friends for two years, but Keith never revealed much about himself. 

Lance shook his head, pulling out his keys for his truck. Hunk waved him over when he was spotted, leaning against his own car. Lance waved back, a noise of surprise leaving him when someone grabbed his arm and turned his around. Keith faced Lance, his stuff gone from his arms. "Lance, please listen to me-" 

"You already said it was _personal_ ," Lance hissed, yanking his arm from his hand. "Clearly, as your old best friend, I'm not allowed to know that kind of stuff."

"No, listen!" Keith stopped him from walking away. "I know I left, but you need to understand why!" 

"Why should I?!" Lance glared at him, turning and shoving him back. "Was it about that night with those kids? The joke that spread around? Is that why you left?" Keith looked confused and guilty at the same time, taking a step back. Lance huffed. "That's what I thought." 

"Hey," Shiro walked closer to them, eyebrows furrowed, "what's going on here?"

"Shiro," both of them began and stopped, looking at each other. Lance frowned, looking at Keith. "You know Shiro?" 

Keith stepped back again, hearing the sharp tone. "He helped me and my dad move back here.." 

The other two walked over at this time. Lance looked at Shiro, confused. "Wait, Keith is the one you helped moved here?" 

"You know Keith?" Shiro frowned, looking at Keith. Keith's fingers twitched, moving against his will to hold the ring. Pidge looked from Keith's ring to Lance's, putting two and two together. She whistled lowly. "Wow, didn't see that coming." 

"I can't believe this," Lance scoffed, clenching his fists. He glared at Keith. "You expect me to become your best friend again - after all this time - don't you?" Keith face flashed with hope, and that's all Lance needed. He couldn't believe he had also hoped they could go back to how they used to be, but it was too late. Ten years of nothing from Keith, and he expects this? Lance wanted to laugh at his old false hope, realizing finally that they could never be best friends again. He took a few steps closer to Keith and pulled off his own ring, dropping it in front of Keith. 

His eyes widened his horror, frozen in place. Lance turned on his heel and walked away for his truck, ignoring the others questioning what just happened and calling for Lance. When Lance moved to open his door to his truck, he looked in the mirror and saw Keith pick up the ring, flinching away from Shiro's comforting hand. He turned and ran for an old truck Lance recognized as Keith's father's old truck. He still has that old thing? Lance watched as his father came out of the truck and grabbed Keith's shoulders, talking to him. His chest tightened when he noticed Keith was crying. 

Everything fell down. Lance blinked and realized his own actions and cursed, gripping the edge of the truck door. He looked into the mirror again, spotting Hunk and Pidge looking at Shiro in confusion. Shiro looked pissed. Lance huffed and hopped into the driver's seat, pausing to start the engine. When he looked over at Keith and his father, Shiro had walked over with Keith's forgotten books and binders, handing them to his father. Keith glanced in Lance's direction, flinching and turning to head for the passenger's seat. Lance gripped the steering wheel, his right ring finger uncomfortable without the ring. 

He pressed his forehead against the wheel and sighed. "Lance, you fucking idiot..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as he was thinking about heading back home, the door front door opened. Lance felt his heart sink. Keith stood there, eyes widening when he saw Lance. Neither spoke. Lance could see Keith had been crying, his eyes red and cheeks stained. A minute passed before someone spoke, and it wasn't one of them. "Keith, who's at the door?" Lance recognized the southern accent of Keith's father, spotting the man walk up behind Keith. He blinked in slight surprise and set a hand on Keith's shoulder, lowering his voice. "Why don't you go and finish the mix while I talk to Lance." It wasn't a question. Keith jolted when he was touched, looking up at his dad before nodding, squeezing past him for the kitchen. Lance opened his mouth, but he ended up stepping back instead when his father stepped out and almost slammed the door behind him.

_The weekend finally hit, and small little Lance was excited. Keith's birthday was coming up, and he already had a present planned. After finding out his birthday was in October, Lance begged for his parents to help him get Keith a present even though he only knew him for two months. Now that his birthday was two days away, he was ready to surprise Keith with cake, glitter, and a cool present!_

_So when Lance walked across the street with his older brother to see Keith two days later, present in his tiny hands while the cake was in his brother's, they stopped when they saw Keith sitting on his tire swing under his tree, face in his hands with little cries leaving his tiny being. Lance was shocked and confused. His brother was the first to react. He set the case holding the cake down at the base of the tree, moving down to sit beside Keith. "Hey, buddy, what' wrong?" Lance followed suit, setting the present down and moving to Keith's other side._

_Keith didn't answer. He lifted his face, his right cheek redder than usual. Lance tilted his head curiously while his brother stiffened, his thumb rubbing Keith's cheek. He flinched when he did. "Oh, Keith.." he murmured, wrapping his arm around him. Lance scooted closer, assuming that Keith was hurt. He joined the hug, his tanned arms circling around Keith's stomach, cheek against his shoulder. His thirteen year old brother pulled out his phone, texting their mother something Lance didn't bother to read. "It'll be okay," his brother rubbed Keith's head. "Mom's on her way over."_

_"What happen?" Lance asked, nuzzling Keith's shoulder. Keith shook his head, eyes squeezing shut. His brother shook his head at Lance, running his fingers through Keith's recently cut hair. Lance chewed on his lip before hopping off the tire swing for the tree. He came back with the present in hand, smiling widely. "Happy birfday, Keithy!"_

_Keith looked up, eyes large at the sight. His tears stopped, head cocking to the side. His small hands reached out and took the small bag, reaching through the tissue paper for the present inside. He pulled out a small pink stuffed hippo, its eyes small and black with some glitter trailing along its back. Keith's eyes brightened, a large smile growing on his face. "A hippo! I wove hippos!" Lance's brother grinned. Lance squealed and stuffed his hands into his pockets, withdrawing them to throw glitter into the air. "Happy birfday to Keithy! Happy birfday to Keithy!"_

_Keith hugged his hippo tightly, jumping off the swing to hug Lance. then he hugged his brother, his eyes bright and dry from tears. "Thank you!"_

_"No problem," his brother ruffled Keith's hair, moving and picking up the case with the cake inside. "It's your birthday, after all."_

_Keith's smile only widened._

 

Lance was honestly surprised to come home to his mother standing in the living room, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. He racked his brain for what could've pissed her off, because she was giving him _that_ look your mother always gives you to tell you you're in trouble. He was only able to set his bag down when she walked closer and whacked him over the head. "Ow! What was that for?!" 

"Shiro called," she said, her voice sounding unbearably calm. "Told me and your father what happened at school today." Lance's brain clicked and he sighed, stepping back. She shook her head, hair swishing softly on her shoulders. "May I ask why exactly you did that?" 

Lance felt his chest flare. He almost glared at his mother. "He left when we were nine and never told me why! Even today, he wouldn't tell me! _And_ he expects me to _forgive_ him and become friends again!" Lance scoffed, moving past his shorter mother for the kitchen. "Who does that?!" 

"Best friends," she replied smoothly, following him. "If I remember correctly, you told him multiple times when you were kids you'd always be his best friend." Lance rolled his eyes, pulling out a bottle of coke from the fridge. She leaned against the counter. "Shiro told me that you threw your favorite ring away at him. The one your grandfather got you for your birthday many years ago." She leaned forward. "You got two, and you gave one to Keith. You threw the one you kept away?" 

The teen sighed and stood up straight, a hiss coming from the bottle he opened. "I was angry.. I realize I might've gone too far there, but listen - _no one_ ever told me why he left. Do you really think I'd just let those ten years of nothing go just like that?" he raised an eyebrow, noticing a flash of guilt cross her face. "That's what I thought." 

Her shoulders stiffened. "Drop the attitude. You have no idea what he went through." 

"Then just tell me," Lance frowned, taking a swig of coke. "It can't be that big of a deal." Her eyes glowed with a mix of emotions. Lance stopped and narrowed his eyes. "What.. happened to Keith?" 

She rubbed her temple with her fingers, closing her eyes. "I.. I don't think it's my place to tell you.." She held up a hand before Lance could interrupt. "What happened the last ten years is really none of our business. I only knew because his father told me. If you really want to know, go to Mr. Kogane. He will tell you." 

Lance rubbed the side of his neck. "Jeez.. is it really that bad?" 

She hummed. "Worse than what you could imagine." 

 

That's how Lance found himself at the Kogane's house. When him and Keith were kids, Keith's family used to live right across the street from Lance, but when a rat problem appeared, they had to move down the street. The house was never sold, but it looked abandoned for years. Now, standing at the old mailbox, Lance could tell someone put a lot of work into fixing the place. The lawn was cut, the flower bed was cleared of weeds and was left with fresh new soil. The porch was clean of spiderwebs and birds nests, a brand new welcome mat sitting at the newly painted brown door. 

Lance walked up the driveway past Keith's father's old truck, watching a butterfly flutter past his head as he stepped onto the porch. Children used to say this house was haunted, which was why no one lived here. Lance pressed his thumb to the doorbell, rocking on his feet nervously. He hasn't spoken to Keith's father in years, and he just hurt Keith hours earlier. Would he be able to talk to him after today? 

Just as he was thinking about heading back home, the door front door opened. Lance felt his heart sink. Keith stood there, eyes widening when he saw Lance. Neither spoke. Lance could see Keith had been crying, his eyes red and cheeks stained. A minute passed before someone spoke, and it wasn't one of them. "Keith, who's at the door?" Lance recognized the southern accent of Keith's father, spotting the man walk up behind Keith. He blinked in slight surprise and set a hand on Keith's shoulder, lowering his voice. "Why don't you go and finish the mix while I talk to Lance." It wasn't a question. Keith jolted when he was touched, looking up at his dad before nodding, squeezing past him for the kitchen. Lance opened his mouth, but he ended up stepping back instead when his father stepped out and almost slammed the door behind him.

"What do you need, Lance?" he asked, crossed his arms, eyebrow raised. Lance felt his mouth go dry. What was he supposed to say? _Hey, Mr. Kogane. Sorry for breaking your son's heart, but could you tell me everything that happened to him?_ Lance cast his eyes down, trying to form the right words. Mr. Kogane saw right through him. "You want to know, don't you?" 

"Sir, please understand," Lance began, "I was left in the dark for ten years.. I don't understand why or how, and I want to know. I'm truly sorry for hurting Keith - I am." 

Mr. Kogane hummed, eyes narrowed. "If you were, you'd be telling Keith that, and not me." Well, that was true. Lance didn't think Keith would ever talk to him again. His father sighed and clapped Lance's shoulder. "I'll tell you what I know. Keith has yet to tell me everything, because I only heard what was said in court." 

Lance looked at him in shock. "Court?" 

He walked past Lance for the driveway, gesturing for him to follow. "Listen to me when I say I don't want you to ever bring this up to Keith. He's been hurt enough." Lance frowned, watching Mr. Kogane open the bed of the truck to sit on. Lance hopped up beside him, pushing off his jacket to tie around his waist. His father hesitated before he began. "Keith's mother and I were fighting a lot when you guys were kids, if you remember." 

"Yeah, I do," Lance nodded. Those two fought constantly when him and Keith were kids. Sometimes, Lance's parents were brought into the fight, then Keith would end up staying the night. Lance never understood why they fought. He just distracted Keith instead with toys or coloring books or maybe a new movie Lance took a liking to. 

"Well, a lot of things went down and I announced that we should just get a divorce," he continued. "His mother took it.. hard. And before I knew it-" 

"Stop." Both jumped and looked over their shoulders, spotting Keith standing on the porch. He avoided looking at Lance, eyes looking betrayed. "Don't tell him. I don't want him to know."

His father opened his mouth, but Lance hopped off the bed of the truck. He walked up to Keith, his footsteps loud in his ears. Keith didn't move. Lance couldn't help but look down at his hands, noticing both rings on his right ring finger. Lance stopped in front of the shorter male, smiling just slightly. "Keith.. I need to apologize for.. for what I did today. You really didn't deserve that." Keith blinked, a flash of shock going through his eyes. Lance slowly set a hand on his shoulder, eyes soft. "I shouldn't have said all of that and I shouldn't have thrown my ring at you... You know, I was hoping when I saw you that you would want to be my friend.. so I don't know what came over me.. I-"

Keith shook his head and stepped forward, hugging him tightly with his arms around his shoulders. "Shut up.." Lance become overwhelmed in mere seconds by the familiar warmth of Keith against him. Ten years.. He pressed his nose to his head, wrapping his arms around him. He heard Mr. Kogane close the bed of the truck, walking over after a moment of silence. "Lance, do you want to come inside?" 

Keith spoke up before him. "He doesn't get a choice." He lifted his head and stepped back, pulling off the ring Lance wore everyday for the last ten years. He smiled and held it out. "We're making cookies." 

Lance chuckled and took the ring, setting it back in its place on his right ring finger. It felt like a piece of him came back to him. "Well, I call licking the dough off the spoon." 

"No!" Keith turned and darted for the house. "My spoon!" 

Lance laughed and chased after him. "My spoon!" 

Mr. Kogane shook his head in amusement, listening to the two acting like best friends again. He felt relief wash over him now that Keith had someone to look after him other than him. He needed it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I just don't know what to do," Lance complained to Hunk and Pidge after school ended, tossing his keys up and down in his hand. "He really did want to be friends again, but he doesn't even try to talk to me."
> 
> Hunk shrugged, swallowing down a bite of his sandwich. "Maybe he's not a good conversation starter like you."
> 
> "Lance can barely start a good conversation," Pidge snickered.

_"Mama! Can Keithy stay the night?" Little Lance asked, jumping up and down in front of his mother. "Can he? Can he? Can he?"_

_She chuckled. "As long as it's okay with his parents."_

_"Cool, because he's outside waiting!" Lance grinned and bolted for the front door. She blinked and followed. "Wait what? Lance!"_

_"Keith, mama said yes!" Lance pounced on tiny Keith, hugging him tightly. Keith's big purple eyes glowed, his own arms clutching his hippo. He didn't have a backpack though._

_"Keith, baby, where's your stuff?" Lance's mother kneeled down in front of the two. She had a sickening feeling in her gut. Something wasn't right._

_"Mommy didn't give me a chance to pack, so I just came over," his voice was muffled by his stuffed hippo. Lance's mother frowned. The two boys didn't seem to get what was wrong. "Mommy said I could come over though..."_

_"That's okay," she said, smiling. "Lance, you and Keith go play with your brother. I'll go talk to your mother, okay?" The two boys nodded and scampered off for the house. She sighed and stood up, crossing her arms as she thought for a moment. "That damn woman..."_

 

Nothing really changed for Lance after that day. He didn't know why, but Keith was still really quiet around him. Hell, he never saw him talk to Shiro, and he found out him and Shiro are practically brothers now. Lance did ask Shiro what was wrong, but Shiro told him it definitely wasn't his place to tell him. Lance is seriously getting tired of hearing that statement. At least Mr. Kogane tried to tell him before Keith stopped him. 

Keith did send him small smiles during class or in the hallways, but he never stayed to talk. Lance noticed he still ran through the halls to get to his class, clutching his books to his chest as he weaved through multiple students. 

It was only during art class that Lance could actually talk to Keith, but whenever he tried to think of _something_ , his mind did a complete one eighty and he backed out of it. Keith never seemed to mind. He was too absorbed into his project. 

"I just don't know what to do," Lance complained to Hunk and Pidge after school ended, tossing his keys up and down in his hand. "He really did want to be friends again, but he doesn't even try to talk to me."

Hunk shrugged, swallowing down a bite of his sandwich. "Maybe he's not a good conversation starter like you."

"Lance can barely start a good conversation," Pidge snickered.

"Rude," Lance poked her head, receiving a scowl from her. "You might be right, Hunk. It has been a while since we saw each other."

Hunk hummed. "Why did he disappear anyway?"

"Don't know," Lance sighed, stopping next to his truck. "No one will tell me, and I sure as hell won't ask Keith. I mean, something clearly happened, but I don't want to put him on the spot." Hunk and Pidge looked at one another and nodded in agreement. Lance unlocked the back door and tossed his bag inside. "I want to figure out what he's into so maybe we can hang out more. I want to... find out what happened, but I need to restore our friendship first. You guys get it, right?"

"Duh," Pidge crossed her arms. "I mean, Matt can relate better than us. After he came back from military school this year, he treated me like I was a whole different person, hence the boat trip a few weeks ago." 

"But you love boats," Hunk pointed out.

"Yeah, but he didn't know that," Pidge snickered. "He started freaking out when I said I've never taken a boat ride in the ocean before because he thought it meant I didn't like boats."

Lance hummed, hopping into the front seat to start the engine. "Well, Keith is different. I'll just start off slow... figure everything out. I want to do as much as I can before basketball season comes up."

"Oh, that'll be fun," Hunk took another bite of his sandwich. "You should invite him to your games. He might like them." Lance nodded and waved as he backed out. Once he was on the road, he sighed and tried to think of what Keith would be into. He was a whole other person now. When they were kids, Keith made it obvious what he liked. Lance wondered briefly if Keith was still obsessed with hippos. 

Suddenly, someone ran across he street _right in front of him._ Lance slammed on the brakes and jerked to a stop, heart pounding as he watched the teen dart away, yelling out an apology. Lance frowned, squinting his eyes to notice the teen was _Keith_. "What the hell?" Lance drove his car to the side out of the way, jumping out and jogging out onto the field where Keith ran. "Keith! What the hell are you doing?!"

Keith stopped in his tracks, whirling around to see Lance standing next to the truck he almost got hit by. Keith paled, his body still shaking. His mind caught up with him, and he cursed at himself for running out in front of a truck. "I-I'm sorry," he finally squeaked out when Lance came closer, shrinking back at the deep frown on Lance's face. "I wasn't thinking-"

"Clearly," Lance snapped, snatching his arm. "Dude, you don't run out into the streets. I don't know what town you were in last, but you can't do that here."

"I didn't..." Keith looked down. Lance loosened his grip, realizing Keith was shaking badly. "Something just scared me, that's all..." Keith mumbled, fingers trembling around his books. "I didn't mean to cause you trouble." 

Lance sighed heavily, rubbing his face. "No, it's fine. No one got hurt. Just don't do that again." Keith nodded, pulling his arm out of Lance's hold. They stood there for a few silent moments, neither one looking at the other. Finally, Lance stepped back. "Hey, I'll drive you home."

"What?" Keith looked up, frowning. "Wait- No, you don't have to." 

"There's a difference between having to and wanting to," Lance nodded his head towards his truck. "Come on, let's go." Keith hesitated, but when Lance turned and began heading back for his truck, Keith gave in and followed. 

"So, what spooked you to run into the road?" Lance asked after they started driving down the road, glancing to the side at Keith. He shrugged in response. "Come on, Keith. No one runs out in front of a truck unless they're scared shitless." Keith cracked a small smile at that. Lance smiled and reached over, rubbing Keith's slumped shoulder. "You can tell me, you know?"

Keith sighed, leaning back in his seat. "I just thought I saw someone I knew."

"Am I allowed to know who?" Keith shook his head. Lance nodded. "Alright, I won't press then. You hungry?" Lance was always the best at changing the subject when needed. Keith knew this well. He nodded after a moment, mumbling a soft "Yeah." Lance nodded back and continued driving, letting the ride become quiet. 

 

"Here we are," Lance parked the car outside of Keith's house, taking a bite of his burger. Keith hummed and opened the door, hopping out. Lance smiled and rolled down the window when Keith shut the door after saying goodbye. "Hey, Keith," Keith stopped and turned, "do you want to hang out sometime this week? We can do whatever you want." Keith blinked, dumbfounded. Lance cleared his throat. "We don't have to. I was just thinking we could hang out again, you know?"

"Um, sure," Keith said. "I'd like that. How about tomorrow?"

"Totally," Lance grinned. "Where to?"

"I wouldn't mind going to your place," he shrugged. "Haven't seen anybody in awhile..." 

Lance smiled, pulling out his phone. "Of course. Here, give me your number so I can call you after school." The two exchanged numbers quickly. Lance hummed and waved at Keith. "See you tomorrow then, yeah?"

"Yeah," Keith grinned, turning and heading for his house. Lance smiled and patted himself on the back, turning his truck to drive down the street. "Good job, Lance. You're getting somewhere." 

Meanwhile, Keith pressed his back to the front door once he was inside and smiled, hugging his books to his chest. "Good job, Keith. You're getting somewhere..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The air was knocked out of Lance when a foot connected with his gut. "Ow- fuck!" He widened his eyes when a glare hit his eyes, quickly stopping the wrist holding the pocket knife coming straight for him. "Woah woah! Keith, what the hell?!" Keith's eyes were unfocused. Lance crashed to the ground on his back, holding his wrist back while the other held Keith's free one. He knew Keith was ambidextrous, and he wasn't ready to have a knife at his throat._

_"And then the big bad wolf ate the girl, and ran away into the woods to gobble up the hunter!" Lance spoke creepily, his hands forming a shadow wolf against the blanket fort wall the flashlight was shining on._

_"That's not how it went!" Keith pouted from behind the flashlight, clutching his stuffed pillow. "The hunter killed the wolf and cut out the girl and her grandma!"_

_"Well, this one's better," Lance stuck his tongue out at him. The two burst into fits of giggles, falling back onto the pillows and blankets making up their bed inside their small fort. Lance loved building forts all the time, and since Keith was over, he just had to show off his fort building skills. It was past eleven o'clock at night, and the two boys were still up. Lance could tell Keith wasn't used to this by his droopy eyes and quiet voice._

_"Lancey?" Keith looked up at the ceiling of the fort. Lance hummed and got onto his knees, pulling his blanket onto his shoulder. Keith nuzzled his hippo. "Are your parents happy?"_

_Lance tilted his head. "Duh! They're the happiest parents ever!"_

_Keith's large eyes finally looked at Lance. "Do you think mine are?"_

_The little six-year-old didn't understand what Keith meant. He huffed and pulled Keith into a sitting position, giving him a toothy smile. "All parents are happy. That's how they be parents! Why would you think they aren't happy?"_

_Small shoulders shrugged, bouncing his hippo side to side. "Mommy yells a lot. So does daddy." Lance tilted his head, not understanding that. How could parents yell at one another? His were always happy. Keith shrugged again and plopped back down onto his back, hugging his hippo. "Maybe something bad happened?"_

_Lance shook his head and grabbed the other blanket, pulling it over Keith. "No way! I bet everything is okay. You'll see."_

_Keith smiled and nodded. "Okay..."_

 

"Dude, did you see that three I made?" Lance grinned, looping his arm around Derek's shoulders - one of the fastest players on the team. "Now I need to nail the half-court shot!"

"Slow down, man," Derek shrugged him off. "Season hasn't even started."

"Ah, who cares?" Lance skipped in front of him, squeaking when he bumped into Hayden - one of the senior players. "Sorry!"

"Is he bragging again?" Hayden grinned, pulling Lance into a headlock. Derek rolled his eyes as Lance screeched, wriggling around. Once Hayden let go, the three headed out of the gym towards the parking lot. Derek - who is a freshman - had to stay back and wait for his ride since he didn't have a license yet. Hayden waved Lance off and the teen ran off for his truck, humming and unlocking the door. 

Before he was able to start the engine, he may or may not have screamed a little when something knocked against his window. Outside, Keith jolted and stepped back, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Lance blinked and smiled sheepishly, rolling down the window after he started the engine. "Hey, Keith. You scared me there."

Keith chuckled, fixing his books in his arms. "Weren't we going to your house today to hang out?"

"Oh, right! Duh," Lance grinned, nodding his head over to the passenger side. "Hop in." Keith smiled and walked around the front to the passenger side. Lance pulled on his seat belt and waited until Keith was strapped in before backing out. 

"How is everyone?" Keith asked at one point, looking out the window. 

"Great," Lance hummed, focusing on the road. "Mr. Big Bro went to college last year and Miss Princess went a few months ago."

Keith chuckled. "Really? They're both in college now?"

"Yup!" Lance stopped at the stop light, giving Keith a grin. "Marco apparently has a girlfriend he met a few months after he got there. Veronica thinks he's lying, but she's also a few hours the opposite way from his college."

"Jeez," Keith leaned back, "never thought Marco could land a girl."

"Oof," Lance smirked. "I dare you to say that to his face next time you see him." Keith laughed, shaking his head. "Oh come on! You gotta!"

"He'll beat my ass!" Keith shoved his shoulder. Lance laughed with him, turning into their neighborhood. Lance parked his truck on the side of the road in front of his house, humming and hopping out after shutting off the engine. Keith walked beside him towards the house, looking around the lawn. "Damn... Still looks the same." 

"Mama loves her garden," Lance grinned, opening the door for Keith. "Mama! ¡Estoy en casa!" 

"¡Bienvenido a casa!" His mother answered from the kitchen. "¿Está Keith contigo?"

"Yeah!" Lance took Keith's books from him, grinning. "Prepare for the death hug, Keithy boy." 

Keith's eyes widened. "Oh no..." 

Lance's mother was in the room in seconds, smiling widely as she grabbed Keith and tugged him into a hug. "Oh, Keith, baby! I'm so glad your okay!" She cupped his face and kissed his forehead multiple times, pulling him back into a tight hug. "I missed you, Keith. Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Keith's voice came out strangled, hugging her back. "I'm okay, I promise." Lance smiled and walked past them for the kitchen, leaving Keith to suffer through the death hug and kisses. Lance looked through the fridge for some soda, hearing his mother whispering to Keith. Lance sighed. It really did seem like he was the only one who had no idea what happened to Keith. Lance wondered briefly if any of his siblings knew anything. 

"Mama, can Keith stay over for dinner?" Lance asked, handing Keith a soda. Keith took it, nodding in thanks. 

"Of course!" his mother kissed Keith's head again, messing with his long locks. "Oh, look at how you've grown... Podrías usar un corte de pelo, aunque," she grinned. Lance snorted, almost choking on his soda. Keith looked confused. Then again, he can't understand them when they speak Spanish. Lance patted Keith on the back, turning for the stairs. "Okay okay, we'll be in my room, Mama."

"Quédate fuera del ático, Lance," she gave him a stern look. Lance huffed but nodded, leading Keith to his room. Keith looked around the hallway with a small smile, memories flying back to him. When they got to his room, Keith almost laughed when he spotted all the Star Wars and Harry Potter posters on Lance's walls - still there even after ten years. Lance was a nerd about the two series when he turned seven. 

"Oh, I didn't know you danced," Keith said, looking at the trophies on Lance's shelf. "And basketball?"

"Mmhmm," Lance set his soda down, grinning. "Yeah, I've been dancing since seventh grade. I joined the basketball team in my freshman year." Keith smiled, crossing his arms. Lance turned and picked up his laptop, plopping down on his bed. "So, Keith, how have you been?"

Keith sat down beside him at the edge of the bed, shrugging. "Could be better. My dad is working two jobs at the moment to pay for both bills and new things for me."

"Oh, that sucks," Lance hissed lightly, closing out of his project. "You guys are okay, right?"

Keith nodded, waving his hand. "Oh yeah, we're fine, don't worry. When I learn how to drive, I'll be able to get a job then."

"You... don't know how to drive?" Lance looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Keith shook his head. "You're a junior."

"No one taught me," Keith cleared his throat. "My dad is going to teach me though. Don't worry about it." Lance shrugged and turned back to his laptop. Keith looked over his shoulder. "Whatcha doing?"

"Trying to find a movie I haven't seen," Lance puffed his cheeks out. "Background noise is good." Keith hummed in agreement, looking around the room again to distract himself. Lance set his laptop aside after finding a Netflix movie, looking at Keith. "So... is there anything you can tell me that happened before you came back?" Keith stiffened, turning away. Lance sighed and patted his back quickly. "I understand if you don't want to say. I was just asking."

Keith stayed quiet for a moment. He sighed and shifted, leaning back against the pillows. "I just moved away with my mom for a bit..."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "Then why is everybody so worried about you?"

"Lance," Keith gave him a pained look, "can we please not talk about this? I just want to hang out... like we used to."

Lance's gaze softened. He nodded and patted his shoulder, moving his laptop onto his lap. "Alright. Let's watch a movie then." Keith tilted his head. Lance grinned. "We used to sit for hours in here watching any movie we could find in the movie case. We took turns all the time."

Keith chuckled, smiling at the memory. "I always chose the Jurassic Park movies, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah, every time," Lance rolled his eyes in amusement. "I always hid under my blankets whenever the dinosaurs killed somebody."

Keith smirked. "Wimp." Lance gasped and elbowed him lightly. Keith laughed, elbowing him back. "You were!"

"I was seven!" 

"Wimp!"

"It was a fifty foot tall man-eating machine!"

"Wi~mp!"

This time, Lance tackled Keith onto the other side of the bed. Keith shrieked, wrestling with him and messing up the blankets on the bed. They only stopped when Keith managed to flip them and they both fell off the bed, laughing and groaning in pain at the fall. Keith helped Lance back up and they both fell back onto the bed, grinning and turning their attention to the movie playing on his laptop. 

Lance felt alive again - sort of like he did whenever he played basketball or danced in a competition. Having his best friend back and happy was all he wanted the last ten years. Keith seemed completely fine. Maybe nothing terribly bad actually happened and their parents were just being dramatic. That's how parents are sometimes anyways. Maybe Keith was just in an accident and everybody was worried, causing little Lance to believe something even worse happened. 

Or... maybe Keith really just wasn't ready to tell his best friend what happened. Lance thought about it as they sat there. Keith... really wanted to stay close with him. After ten years, Lance wouldn't have been surprised if Keith just didn't want to do anything with him. But Keith was trying to pretend nothing happened - trying to fix what messed everything up. 

Did he think Lance would leave him for good if he told him what happened? Lance felt his chest tighten at the thought. It's completely possible Keith might believe that. Lance once thought his family would disown him for being bisexual, but when he finally came out to his older brother, Marco, he learned how accepting they were. Veronica apparently wasn't that surprised - saying she saw that coming. His other brother Luis said the same thing. Lanceed out a small laugh, passing it off as something in the movie when Keith looked at him.

Lance knew he had to wait for Keith. He doesn't fully know Keith like he did when they were kids. Maybe Keith was even more shy than he originally was. Maybe he didn't trust people as easily anymore. Maybe Keith might just need a few weeks to settle down before he lets everything out. Whatever it is, Lance will wait. 

"Lance, your father is almost home with dinner," his mother poked her head into the room a few hours of old movies and sarcastic comments, smiling softly. "Oh, is Keith asleep?"

Lance hummed and nodded, putting his phone down. Keith had drifted off about half-way through the movie he was watching now. He didn't have the heart to wake him up. He never did even as a kid. "Yeah, I'm gonna call his dad to see when he gets home." She nodded and blew him a kiss, stepping out of the room quietly. Lance shifted and carefully moved Keith down onto his side off of his shoulder where he had fallen asleep. Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out Keith's phone, humming and making a mental note to tell Keith to give his phone a password. 

_"Hello?"_ Keith's father picked up the phone after a few rings. _"Keith?"_

"No, this is Lance," Lance stepped out of the room so he didn't wake Keith. "Hey, Keith is over at my place and he fell asleep. Do you want me to take him home now or wait until you're back?"

 _"Oh, I can pick him up,"_ his father chuckled. _"I'm heading home right now so I can stop by and get him. Is he okay?"_

"Oh, yeah, he's fine," Lance headed downstairs when he heard the front door open, his father's voice hitting his ears. "We were just watching movies and he passed out."

_"Okay, well I'll be there in a few. Thank you for watching over him, Lance."_

"No problem," Lance smiled. "I'm glad to have him over. See ya." He hung up after Keith's father said bye, setting the phone on Keith's books when he walked into the living room. "Hey, papa." 

Lance's father waved, setting down the two boxes of pizza he picked up. "Hey, son. Heard Keith is over?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, he's asleep upstairs. His dad is coming to get him." His father nodded, turning to get plates for the three of them. Lance and his parents sat on the couch watching one of the tv shows his mother is obsessed with. When the doorbell rang ten minutes later, Lance got up and found Keith's father on the other side. "Hey, man. Come on in. We got pizza." 

He chuckled, stepping inside. "Thanks for the offer, but I already got us dinner." He waved at Lance's parents, smiling. "Hey, guys..." Lance grinned and left them to talk, turning and heading upstairs to get Keith. Knowing their parents, they'd talk for thirty minutes. Him and Keith always got to play outside even after the sun went down because their parents wouldn't stop talking. It was already seven thirty, so his room was almost pitch black when he came in. His laptop was still playing the movie, the screen lighting up Keith's sleeping face. 

"Hey, Keithy," Lance spoke softly, shaking his shoulder. "Wakey wakey." Keith's eyes peeked open, grunting and flicking around. Lance jolted when they snapped open - completely wide, and he flipped around. 

The air was knocked out of Lance when a foot connected with his gut. "Ow- fuck!" He widened his eyes when a glare hit his eyes, quickly stopping the wrist holding the pocket knife coming straight for him. "Woah woah! Keith, what the hell?!" Keith's eyes were unfocused. Lance crashed to the ground on his back, holding his wrist back while the other held Keith's free one. He knew Keith was ambidextrous, and he wasn't ready to have a knife at his throat. 

Footsteps pounded against the stairs and the door flew open again. Keith yelped when he was grabbed and pulled off of Lance, the pocket knife being ripped from him. Lance sat up, panting heavily as he watched Keith's father holding Keith, hands cupping his face so Keith was looking at him. "Keith, look at me. _Look at me._ You're okay. You're safe, I promise. Okay?"

Keith blinked and nodded slowly, gripping his father's wrists. Lance's mother helped Lance to his feet, checking him over. "Bebé, ¿estás herido? ¿Estás herido en absoluto?"

"Estoy bien," Lance murmured, looking past her at Keith. He looked horrified, staring at the pocket knife abandoned on the ground. Lance's father helped Keith to his feet, murmuring something to him. Keith nodded, swallowing thickly. Lance picked up the blade, turning to Keith. "What...?" 

Keith's father took it from him. "I'm so sorry, Lance. He didn't realize where he was and freaked out." 

Lance nodded, frowning. Why would that cause him to pull a blade, though? Keith opened and closed his mouth, rubbing his arm. "I'm sorry... I didn't..." 

"No, it's okay," Lance said, waving his hands. At least he caught Keith before he actually was harmed. "No one got hurt, thankfully." 

Keith's father nodded, pulling Keith close. "We'll head home. I- Thank you for watching him." Lance's parents nodded and lead them out of Lance's room. Lance stayed where he was, frowning and looking at his bed. His room was still dark except for the hallway light and laptop on his bed. When he was a kid, he couldn't sleep without a night light. He never reacted violently. He just freaked out and tried to find someone he knew. 

What confused Lance was that Keith didn't recognize him quickly enough, and that Keith pulled out a blade on instinct when he saw someone he didn't bother to try and recognize first. Lance rubbed his face and sighed. Why the hell does he have a blade in the first place?

Keith used to hate knives...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Frowning, Lance glanced at the door before sitting down, smoothing out the picture to look at what it was. It was two people; woman and man. Lance squinted and looked closer, finding the woman oddly familiar._
> 
> _Lance's mind clicked and his eyes widened a bit. That was Keith's mother, and the man next to her was someone Lance didn't know. He flipped the picture and barely caught the writing on the back upper corner. "Dated... May 3rd, 2014..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the reveal of Lance's siblings names, I'm switching the original names for his siblings to what they actually are. So there might be some changes in the earlier chapters, but not much.

_"Hey, Keithy, how come the police are out your house?"_

_Little Keith tilted his head as they looked out the window, shrugging. "I don't know."_

_The two had woken up the next morning during their sleepover to the sound of sirens. Two police cars were parked outside Keith's house, and the officers were talking to his parents. Both their eyes went wide when they began handcuffing Keith's mother._

_"Wait!" Keith yelped, turning and running out of Lance's room. Lance blinked and ran after him. Lance's mother was standing on the porch when Keith slipped past her. She reacted to slowly but grabbed Lance instead. Lance was about to object when Keith ran over to the officers, grabbing onto his mother's shirt. "Wait! Where are you going? Why are there police, mommy?"_

_She narrowed her eyes at him. Keith's father walked over and spoke softly with the officers before picking Keith up. Lance grew confused when his father tilted Keith's head and the officers' frowns deepened. Then Keith's mother was in the car and Keith let out a small cry._

_"Mama, what's happening?" Lance asked, looking up at him mother. She gently lead him back into the house, sighing and locking the door._

_"Nothing you need to know."_

 

Lance hummed a soft tune as he headed for the coffee shop where his friends were waiting for him. The town was bustling with life. Lance decided not to drive since it was after school and traffic was bound to happen. He wasn't that far anyway.

A little way ahead, he blinked in slight surprise when he saw a familiar black haired boy sitting on one of the benches along the side walk. He was on his knees facing the road with a camera in hand, eyebrows knitted as he adjusted the lenses and tilted it this way and that. Lance grinned and walked closer till he was behind him, watching him take a few pictures of the entrance to the town park across the street.

"Hey, Keith," Lance said, poking his back. Keith yelped and almost elbowed Lance in the throat, whirling around. He blinked and visibly relaxed, standing up. 

"Shit- I'm sorry I didn't know-" he rambled, but Lance just chuckled. 

"Noted - don't scare you," Lance grinned playfully. "No sweat, man. I'm fine. How are you? You weren't at school today." 

Keith sighed, hanging his camera around him neck. "Uh, right. I skipped out on today cause I didn't have a ride home." 

"Oh, I could've taken you," Lance offered. 

"Well, after yesterday..." Keith fiddled with his camera, not meeting Lance's eyes. "I'm really sorry, Lance." 

Lance ran a hand through his hair, shrugging. "I said it was fine. You didn't hurt anybody. You just got scared, that's all." Keith shrugged his own shoulders, but didn't say anything. Lance hummed and smiled after a moment. "Hey, me and my friends are hanging out at the coffee shop. Wanna come with?" 

Keith blinked and rubbed the side of his neck. "I-I don't know. I don't have any money." 

Lance waved his hand. "Don't worry, I'll pay. Plus, Shiro's there." Keith looked up, relief passing over his face at the mention of his other friend. Lance grinned and gestured down the sidewalk. "Let's go." 

 

Lance was glad they all had a great time. Keith got along great with the other two - being Pidge and Hunk - though he stayed quiet most of the time. Lance probably spent twenty dollars on the two of them for snacks without Keith knowing. 

They left after Shiro had to leave, beginning their own walk around town. Keith was rambling about his one hobby, being taking photos. He showed Lance a few, and they looked almost professional. Keith said he had more in his room so he had space in his camera for more. 

The two made there way to their neighborhood in constant chatter, both rambling about anything. Politics, the school, the students in the school, and other things they liked doing. 

Lance ended up admitting his sexuality to Keith when he told him about how he was trying to find that one person. Keith just grinned and mentioned a few people in their class, though most were guys. When Lance teased him playfully about looking at the boys, Keith only grew red and admitted he was gay. 

Well, Lance didn't see that coming. Keith shrugged and said that the school really did have a lot of good looking guys. Lance laughed and agreed. 

"Here we are," Lance stopped with Keith in front of his house, hands on his hips. "I'll text you tonight, 'kay?" 

Keith nodded, smiling and punching his shoulder lightly. "Can't wait." Lance grinned and rubbed his shoulder, watching Keith jog up to his door and go inside. Lance sighed happily and began walking down the street for his own house, smiling like a complete idiot as he went. 

 

The weekend finally hit, and Lance was relieved. He was tired, his back ached, and he didn't have homework for once. He collasped on his bed immediately and sighed in relaxation, closing his eyes and thinking about taking a nap. 

His phone ringing interrupted that thought though. Groaning, Lance reached into his pocket and checked the ID, lighting up when he saw Keith splayed across the screen. "Hello?" 

" _Hey, Lance,_ " Keith said on the other line, followed by some shuffling. " _I was wondering if you wanted to come over? My dad's not home right now and I'm bored. I could show you those pictures I was talking about._ "

Lance grinned, sitting up. "Yeah, sure. I'll be over in a few." 

" _Sweet, see you,_ " he said before hanging up. Lance chuckled and shook his head, standing up to pull on better clothing more comfortable to wear before telling his mom where he was heading. He whistled as he got in his truck and drove down the street for Keith's house. He parked on the side by the mailbox and headed inside, opening the door and calling out. "And Lance has entered the building!" 

Lance was not expecting an angry cat to attack his face. 

"Red! No, bad cat!" Keith easily pried Red off of Lance, holding onto the squirming and hissing animal. Lance held a hand over his heart, taking a big gulp if air. Keith laughed nervously at the harsh look Red was giving Lance. "I'm so sorry. She doesn't like people." 

"I'm thanking heaven that she's declawed then," Lance rubbed his face. Keith hummed and set her down, watching her sprint for the couch to hide. The two looked at each other and started laughing. Keith shook his head and headed down the hall for his room, grinning. "So, welcome to my angsty living space." 

"Oh God," Lance looked around, finding the room mostly empty aside from clothes, art supplies on his desk, and a whole lot of dark colored items like bedding and furniture. "It is angsty." 

Keith chuckled, walking over and picking up his camera. "Well, not really. I just like dark colors." 

"Obviously," Lance set his hands on his hips, looking around. He heard a small click and looked back at Keith, finding him smiling and lowering his camera. "Hey, you took my bad side!" 

"I think it's a great side," Keith rolled his eyes, setting his camera down. He bent over and opened up a drawer, pulling out a scrapbook. "Here, I have some old photos in here." 

"Ooo, lemme see!" Lance made grabby hands as he sat down with Keith on his bed, opening the book so it was on both of their laps. Lance peered down in awe at the photos. "Wow, these are pretty." 

It was mostly nature, he noticed. Flowers and trees and insects. There was a close shot of a pretty pink flower that looked like it bloomed recently when Keith took it. There was a picture of a hawk sitting in its nest looking down at the camera Keith had been holding. There was another of a group of Cardinals in a tree, a few looking down at the camera as well. 

Lance flipped the page and found a random gap between the splayed out photos, grinning and tilting his head. "You should totally put the picture of me here." 

Keith blinked and stared at the book for a moment before beaming, standing up and grabbing his camera. "Yeah, good idea. I'll go print it real quick." 

Lance nodded as he left the room, frowning as he flipped the page. There were no gaps, and two of the pictures on this page could've fit in the gap. He shrugged it off and closed the book, standing up to look around. 

His room really was empty - or just very clean. The only thing messy was his desk, covered with art supplies and paint stains. He picked up a picture of a sketch of Shiro and his father. Lance felt a smile twitch up, delicately running his fingers over the drawing. It was so realistic... 

Setting it down, Lance moved and went to sit down on the bed when his foot kicked a balled up piece of paper. Lance blinked and picked it up, uncrumbling it to find it actually being a photo - the same size as what the gap could've held. 

Frowning, Lance glanced at the door before sitting down, smoothing out the picture to look at what it was. It was two people; woman and man. Lance squinted and looked closer, finding the woman oddly familiar. 

Lance's mind clicked and his eyes widened a bit. That was Keith's mother, and the man next to her was someone Lance didn't know. He flipped the picture and barely caught the writing on the back upper corner. "Dated... May 3rd, 2014..." 

Keith would've been about 14 around that time, so this was taken after he left. His mother looked... terrible, to say the least. The man next to her was a big guy, packed with muscle and almost a threatening appearance. Lance remembered Keith's parents getting a divorce. Did she and Keith leave and she got a new guy? If so, why did Keith come back? Did he just miss his father? 

Lance folded the photo and shoved it in his back pocket, huffing and picking up the scrapbook right as Keith walked in with a photo in hand. The two grinned as Keith found the page and slipped the photo into the folds, smiling and poking Lance's cheek. "That's a keeper." 

"I'll say," Lance cracked his knuckles, winking. "I'm fabulous to look at." Keith groaned and covered his face. 

"Oh God, you really are a flirt." Lance laughed, falling back onto the bed in amusement. Keith soon joined in his laughing, getting up to put the scrapbook away. "Hey, I heard your basketball season starts at the end of the trimester." 

"Of course," Lance sat up. "It always does." 

Keith shrugged. "Well, I'm not into sports so I didn't know." 

"Dude, you're the one that got me into basketball," Lance poked his stomach, making Keith hiss and seat his hand away. "Your dad bought you a basketball for your birthday and we both played around for hours trying to make a shot." 

Keith giggled, eyes soft at the memory. "Yeah, you were way better than me. I can only throw a few things, and a basketball is not one." 

Lance chewed on the inside of his cheek, debating his next question. "Can you throw knives?" 

Keith blinked and thought about that. He hesitated before answering. "Maybe, but not like in the movies. I would probably never throw my weapon at someone if there was a high chance they could use it against me, you know." 

"Yeah, I guess..." Lance breathed out, eyebrows furrowed. "When did you get into using knives? You always used to gripe at Marco for having a pocket knife." 

"A few years back," Keith rubbed his arm, looking down. "Some... Uh, some guys jumped me and... I got a pocket knife to protect me incase it happens again." 

"Understandable," Lance stood up, looking out the window. It was starting to get late again, so dinner should be ready soon. "Well, I need to go back home. Do you want to come with? Mama is cooking spaghetti." 

Keith shook his head. "My dad's bringing home burgers. I'll be fine." 

"Alright, suit yourself," Lance grinned, ruffling Keith's hair. He laughed when Keith started punching him playfully. "Ow- ow! Okay okay! No touching the mullet!" 

Keith paused before puffing his cheeks. "It's not a mullet!" 

"Sure, and I'm not a great basketball player," Lance teased. 

Keith crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "How would I know? I've never seen you play." 

Lance gasped and grabbed his shoulder. "You totally have to come to my games then! I'll prove to you how good I am!" 

Keith grinned and nodded. "Alright, sharpshooter. I'll be there when they come up." 

Lance beamed. "You got it, samurai." Keith couldn't help but beam too.


End file.
